Road Trip (2018 Wattys Long List)

Chapter 11

Dan drove through the small city of Sudbury after making the long drive north from home in Glenwood. Not much of a town, by the look of things. It had cost him a day of driving to get here. But this was where he expected to intercept the trail of the missing old-timers. He could feel it. Probably going to be a piece of cake for him now. Get those old buggers back to the home where they belonged.

Driving out of town, following the highway west, he drove the two-lane route into the north country, watching for the diner that had responded to his search for the missing old folks, just yesterday morning. They had reported that an unusual kid had dropped in and ordered takeout for a bunch of older people. They supposedly had picked him up along this highway somewhere. These mystery people had stayed outside. No idea how old they were. Kid had suggested they were pretty old, though. He wanted to check this lead out for himself, see if it had the potential that he thought it did.

This place sure is out in the middle of nowhere, Dan thought, as the miles continued to add up. Finally, after another twenty minutes or so, a small gas station and diner came into view, surrounded by miles of endless trees. "Fran's Diner", it proclaimed on the sign out front, the name that he had obtained as the source of the tip that had come in. This is the place, he thought, as he slowed the car and pulled into the gravel parking lot right in front of out the diner.

When he entered, a bell over the door announced his arrival, and a moment later, a middle-aged woman appeared behind the counter. Otherwise, the diner was empty.

"What can I getcha', Hun?"

"How 'bout a coffee. Black."

"Sure thing. Here or to go?"

"Here's fine. Actually, I want to talk to you if I may. I'm here on police business. Detective Dan Colbeck, Glenwood detachment", he said as he flipped open his badge for her inspection. I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind.

"Shoot", the woman said, 'Course I only mean that figuratively!" She chuckled at her own joke.

Dan smiled. How many times had he heard that one? "Did you serve a young guy yesterday morning, might have seemed a little strange? He would have been ordering take out for some older people too, not just himself," Dan asked.

"I gotta' tell ya, mister, I sure did." The kid was pretty unusual, to my way of thinkin', real young and dressed in jeans and long hair and all. Said he caught a ride with some old folks and he was ordering takeout for them all. Didn't know him, not from around here."

"Did you get a look at the people he was with?" Dan asked.

"Nope. Like I said, only the kid came in. Said the others were outside. I never saw any of them, other than the kid, of course. Heck of a big order for one person to carry, though. He said he could manage it on his own and I guess he did."

"I see. Can you describe this kid for me, then?"

He was probably somewhere between fifteen and eighteen, she said, but he looked young. Lots a' zits on his face, so prob'ly on the younger side of that. Acted younger, too. He was all dressed in denims. You know, blue jean jacket and Levis, that sort of thing.  Long, darkish brown hair that hasn't seen a comb or shower lately, by the look. And I noticed he had a woven leather bracelet around his wrist. Hippy lookin' sort of to me," the woman said, in an attempt at being as helpful as she could.

Dan was glad she was a female, a guy wouldn't have noticed so many details unless it was a woman with big boobs who happened to of come in. They usually did notice stuff like that, but not much else.

***********************

So far, they had avoided making stops in the small towns along their way. The fewer people they came into contact with, the better. That was Stu's policy, but just as they were entering the sleepy little town of Burgess, Millie broke her silence. "I have to pee!"